Chili

We’re used to cold winters in North Dakota, but even the hardiest souls get a little itchy after spending a week with temperatures hovering below zero degrees. Most of us don’t spend much time outside during these days, but the chill still gets into your bones, tenses your muscles, freezes your fingers, and makes you nostalgic for the simple summer pleasure of going outside in just a t-shirt.

However, with winter comes the joy of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals and lately, chili has been on my mind. My friend Jenny wanted to make chili this past weekend, so I went with her to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients. We ran into someone we knew in the seasonings aisle and started chatting – wouldn’t you know it, that person was making chili too.




Search for a chili recipe and you’ll come up with a million and one variations: beanless, meatless, white, green, spicy, super spicy, chicken, turkey, tofu – you name it, someone has a chili recipe for it. But what if you just want chili? Just a classic pot o’ chili like Ma used to make? Well, here’s the recipe: simple, easy comfort food on a cold, cold night. With cornbread on the side, please. Not only because cornbread is good with chili, but also because I’ll use any excuse to turn on the oven and bake this time of year.

Note: this is chili as my German-Russian heritage knows it, meaning absolutely not spicy. If you like heat, add it as needed.

Chili

1 lb. ground meat (we use elk or venison)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ green pepper, chopped
1 Tablespoon chili powder
A few shakes ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 – 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 – 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 – 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

In a large pot, start browning meat over medium heat. Halfway through cooking, add onion, garlic, and green pepper and continue cooking until meat is brown and veggies softened. Season meat with seasonings, then add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beans. Simmer 10 minutes or until ready to serve.